Virgin Atlantic orders seven additional A330neo aircraft but scraps some more routes

At this year’s Farnborough Airshow, Virgin Atlantic Airways placed a firm order for seven A330neo aircraft as part of its wider fleet transformation. The agreement takes Virgin Atlantic’s commitment for the A330neo to 19 aircraft in total, providing improved economics.
The order was announced onboard Virgin Atlantic’s A330neo, named ‘Ruby Rebel’, and registered as GB-VSRB after founder Sir Richard Branson, to celebrate the airline’s 40th anniversary. The aircraft was on static display for four days during the airshow, and I had the pleasure of touring this beautiful aircraft as the pictures here show.
Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic said, “We complete our multi-billion-dollar fleet transformation, with the purchase of seven additional A330-900s, which we know our customers and our people love to fly. Flying the youngest fleet is the most readily available and significant lever towards decarbonising long-haul aviation and we are proud to already operate one of the youngest and most fuel and carbon efficient fleets across the Atlantic.”
“Our special partnership with Airbus began with the arrival of ‘Lady in Red’ in 1993, with our most recent arrival, ‘Ruby Rebel’, arriving to mark our 40th birthday this year. Virgin Atlantic has flown more than 60 Airbus tails in the last three decades. While not first to the party, they’ve been our main dance partner, making our customers smile ever since.”

​Airbus Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Aircraft, Christian Scherer said, “We are grateful for Virgin Atlantic’s decision to expand its A330neo fleet as part of its strategy to have the youngest fleet across the Atlantic. The A330neo not only delivers unbeatable operational seat mile cost and an exceptional passenger experience, it also greatly enhances Virgin Atlantic’s fleet efficiency and contributes to their sustainability journey. We look forward to continuing this smooth and successful collaboration for many years to come.”

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​Virgin Atlantic will cancel flights to the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos after only two seasons. This follows the airline’s decision to suspend its services to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Though Seoul may be a new destination in the far east in 2025. 

The airline will axe its twice-weekly flight to Providenciales on 21 February 2025 and its three-flights-a-week service to Nassau two days later. It only launched both services in December 2023 as a stop en route to Montego Bay. The airline said it would be contacting customers “to discuss next steps, including a full refund or alternative flights with another carrier”. 

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said “As we continue to focus on optimising our network, we regularly review the destinations we fly to.” “As part of this, we’ve made the decision to increase our frequencies to Antigua, Barbados and Cape Town next year, and to sadly suspend operations to The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.”